Blue Jays Pursuing Luis Severino: A Good Fit for the Mid-Rotation
The Toronto Blue Jays are interested in everyone, and Luis Severino is no exception.
Throughout his 10 seasons in the big leagues, the 30-year-old right-handed pitcher has never pitched for a team outside New York City. He spent nine seasons with the New York Yankees from 2015 until 2023, before signing a one-year deal with the New York Mets before the 2024 season.
After declining the Mets’ qualifying offer, which means losing a draft pick for any team signing him, Severino is once again on the market and is one of the best mid-tier pitchers available.
Luis Severino’s stats
Last season was a good bounce-back year for the Dominican righty. With the Mets, he posted a 3.91 ERA and a 4.21 FIP in 182 innings pitched, with a 21.2 K% and a 7.9 BB%. The Miracle Mets reached the National League Championship Series, and the 30-year-old made three starts with a 3.24 ERA and a 4.43 FIP in 16.2 innings pitched.
Simply put, it was a much better season for Severino after a disastrous 2023, where he had a 6.65 ERA and a 6.14 FIP in 89.1 innings pitched with the Yankees. In 2022, he pitched 102 innings with a 3.18 ERA and a 3.70 FIP, but missed the majority of the 2019, 2020, and 2021 seasons, pitching just 18 innings in those three years.
This is a far cry from his early career where he looked like the next Yankees ace. In 2017, Severino had a 2.98 ERA and a 3.07 FIP in 193.1 innings pitched, with a 29.4 K% and a 6.5 BB% for a career-best 5.6 fWAR. His 2018 was great as well, as the righty finished that year with a 3.39 ERA and a 2.95 FIP in 191.1 innings pitched, with a 28.2 K%, a 5.9 BB%, and a 5.4 fWAR.
He never developed into an ace, but he’s a great middle-of-the-rotation starter.
